The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-01-21
RICHARD T. BOOTH.
Interview With the Temperance Adj
VOcate-IIis Work Here.


AS announced in Mondays issue, Mr..
Richard T. Booth, the temperance lee
turer, accompanied by his wife, arrived
by Ethe Mariposa, and is staying at the
Hawaiian Hotel. A representative of
the ADVERTISER called upon him yester-
day, and was most pleasantly received.
Mr.. Booth was born in Ithaca, New
York, October y, 1874. At Is he en-
rolled in the 1llth regiment of New
York Volunteers, and took part in the
great Civil War, receiving a slight
wound in the battle of the Wilderness,
on May ), 1864. In 1865 he received an
honorable discharge from the ranks.
Two years later he signed the temper
ance pledge, and since then he has de-
voted himself to the cause with so much
success that through his efforts over one
million persons have taken the pledge.
Mr.. Booth is very interesting CONVEX
sationalist. Having travelled nearly all
over the world, he is full of the most in
teresting accounts of places and also in
cidents which have come under his per-
sonal knowledge. He labored for four
years in England with great success,
and at different places was presented
with beautiful Illuminated addresses,
several of which were shown to the
writer He carries with him hand
some gold watch with an inscription,
which he received from Y. NJ. G.. A. in
England, under whose auspices he held
meetings. Another memento is bronze
medal struck off to commemorate his
visit to Sheffield, England. On one side
is his profile. and the pledge on the
other. Mr.. Booth pinned the blue rib
bon upon the Bishop of Dover, Dean of
Canterbury, Canon Wilberforce, Rev. G..
H. Spurgeon, Lord and Lady Mount
Temple, Earl of Lichfield, Duchess of
Sutherland, three Admirals of the Brit
ish navy and other distinguished per-
sons. His success in the Colonies dur
ing the past three years has been phe-
nomenal. Wherever he went he had
large audiences, who listened to him
with the closest attention.
Mr.. Booth did not intend staying over
in Honolulu, but as he had been very
unwell on the voyage up, he thought
break in the journey would do him good.
He is on his way to visit his relatives in
America. On Sunday evening next at
the Fort-street Church he will inaugur-
ate a series of temperance meetings.
They will be conducted every evening
throughout the week except Saturday.
On one evening Mr.. Booth will deliver
his thrilling lecture, "Reminiscences of
the American War" which has been
highly spoken of by the press at the
places where he has delivered it. The
following extract from a London, Eng
land, paper speaks for itself: "'Three
years have elapsed since Mr.. Booth COM
menced to labor in England, and glori-
Gus has that labor been. Gospel Tenn
perance Mission work, as it is now gen.
orally understood, has thus amongst us
attained its third birthday, for although
it is a six or seven-year-old system in
the United States, its birth in England
dates from Mr.. Booths mission in
Longton, Staffordshire, during the
month OF October, 1880. We do not
wish to imply that the joint advocacy of
the Gospel and temperance has only
been adopted during the past three
years. 1t is our one desire to award
credit to whom credit is due; and Mr.
PnOfh 1ocnr-yoo Io AcI e III
who profess themselves well-wishers of
our sacred cause, for hay ing been the
first to demonstrate the practicability of
a week, fortnight, or even q months
Gospel Temperance campaign in one
town, at the same time and upon the
same platform utilizing the help of the
clergy, ministry, and laity of all denomi-
nations, the power of Immersed organ
lied choirs and great enthusiasm label
ing them all with the little badge of blue.
and turning them to account for the
Master in winning souls for His King
dom, and converts for total abstinence.
IN other words, it was Mr. Booth who
taught US that Moody and Sankey mis-
sion might well be adapted to the tenn
perance cause. The adaptation has not
only raised the standard of temperance
teaching wherever before it needed rails
ing, but it has removed barriers of big
otry and opposition innumerable. 1t
was no hole-and-corner movement when
Mr.. Booth landed in England. Long
before he took to the platform, yes, be-
fore he signed the pledge, teetotalers had
gained for themselves hearing in every
phase of society, but temperance meet
ings were not then popular in the sense
that they are to-day. Where hundred
people attended one then, thousand
will come now, and it is only an ordinary
occurrence for Mr.. Booth to address mass
meetings of three and four thousand
people nightly for two or three weeks in
the same town"